Elections

District 5 residents pepper City Council candidates with questions about safety, Chevron and the environment

District 5 City Council candidates fielded questions Tuesday night on issues ranging from police funding and environmental concerns to plans for diversifying city revenue and reducing reliance on Chevron, Richmond’s largest employer. The chairs in Richmond’s Eastern Hall Methodist Church were just over half full, with about 40 community members, organizers, and journalists. Another 30 people joined the discussion virtually. The forum was co-hosted by Richmond Confidential, Richmondside, The Contra Costa Pulse, and El Tímpano, and was moderated by Richmondside…

Residents ask District 6 City Council candidates what they will do about sideshows and smoke shops.

More than 100 people attended the District 6 City Council forum Monday night at Memorial Auditorium, pressing candidates Claudia Jiménez and Shawn Dunning about sideshows, smoke shops, rent control, public safety and the $550 Chevron settlement. About 70% of the residents who came in person live in District 6. The forum also was accessible on Zoom. It was the second of three candidates’ nights to be co-hosted by media outlets Richmond Confidential, Richmondside, The Contra Costa Pulse, and El Tímpano….

People of Richmond: With the RPA now in charge, what’s in store for the city?

“People of Richmond” is a regular series in which reporters pose a question to people in the community. Answers are presented verbatim, though sometimes edited for brevity. Q: With the Richmond Progressive Alliance gaining a super-majority on City Council, what do you think the future holds for Richmond? “Although it is a RPA majority, they are still individuals. I don’t want to do to them what a lot of people have done to the African American and Latino community, box…

INTERACTIVE GAME: See which Richmond mayoral candidate most matches your views

On Tuesday, Richmond will vote for a new mayor. The four candidates in the running are Vice Mayor Eduardo Martinez, filmmaker Mark Wassberg, City Council member Nat Bates and independent consultant Shawn Dunning. Maybe you have a favorite. Maybe you’ve already cast your vote. But could it be that your views on some specific issues align with a candidate you did not expect?  Play this game to see which of the four candidates you are most like based on your…

In Measure N, Hercules voters asked to keep 8% utility tax on books indefinitely

On Tuesday, Hercules voters will decide whether to extend Measure N, a utilities tax that has been funding essential city services for the past 18 years. The 8% tax creates revenue of roughly $3.6 million per year and assures financial stability. This allows for more funding of neighborhood police patrols, water quality, community services, parks and recreation, and for attracting local businesses, as the official website for the measure states.  The City Council unanimously voted to put the measure on…

Will Nat Bates be Richmond’s next mayor?

Richmond Confidential posed the same questions to mayoral candidates Nathaniel Bates, Shawn Dunning, Eduardo Martinez and Mark Wassberg. Their answers are being presented verbatim, in the order they were received, with light editing, where necessary, for brevity. Today’s Q&A is with Nat Bates. Where are you from, and how many years have you lived in Richmond? My mother and I are from Texas, and at the age of 11, we moved to Richmond after the invasion of Pearl Harbor. Like…

Will Shawn Dunning be Richmond’s next mayor?

Richmond Confidential posed the same questions to mayoral candidates Nathaniel Bates, Shawn Dunning, Eduardo Martinez and Mark Wassberg. Their answers are being presented verbatim, in the order they were received, with light editing, where necessary, for brevity. Today’s Q&A is with Shawn Dunning. Where are you from, and how many years have you lived in Richmond? A: I was born in San Francisco, and I grew up outside the small town of Colfax, in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Since going…

Richmond needs your help in drawing up new city council district lines

Richmond will be using the recently released 2020 U.S. census data to redraw the city’s political boundaries and is inviting residents to help.  Three public workshops already have been held online and two more are scheduled in January and February. But anyone who wants to participate can submit maps and suggestions by email.  The census triggers a redrawing of political boundaries across the country every 10 years. In Richmond, City Council representation likely will be reconfigured as a result. The…